1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a portable intelligent communications device and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for configuring certain settings of such portable intelligent communications device during a meeting.
2. Description of Related Art
A new class of communication devices has been developed which includes a full computer integrated with the communications hardware and software. These devices, known as portable intelligent communications devices, differ significantly from personal digital assistants (PDAs) and handheld personal computers (HPCs) in that they are designed extensively to be a communications device rather than merely a xe2x80x9cmobile computer.xe2x80x9d As such, the top features for the communications device are telephony, enhanced telephony, messaging, and information services. In order to enable at least some of these features, the portable intelligent communications device is able to be connected to the Internet by either a wired link or a wireless link. It will also be understood that certain software applications are provided within the portable intelligent communications device to facilitate the aforementioned features, as well as other desirable features such as a Personal Information Manager (PIM), games, and the like. An exemplary portable intelligent communications device is shown and disclosed in a patent application entitled xe2x80x9cSwitching Of Analog Signals In Mobile Computing Devicesxe2x80x9d and having Ser. No. 08/796,119, which is owned by the assignee of the present invention and is hereby incorporated by reference.
It will be understood that the aforementioned portable intelligent communications device is targeted to the traveling business person. Since this type of user will constantly be engaged in meetings and other activities during which normal operation of the portable intelligent communications device would be awkward or inappropriate, it is desirable for the portable intelligent communications device to activate an operational mode consistent therewith. This would involve configuring a series of settings for the portable intelligent communications device which, for example, handle and/or divert incoming communications, disable alarms, and the like. To the extent such operational modes have been available in the past, they have been enabled and disabled manually. This has been problematic in some instances since incoming communications are missed when the user fails to manually deactivate the mode after the meeting or activity is completed. Therefore, it would be highly desirable for an operational mode to be developed for a communications device in which certain configuration settings are automatically activated and deactivated. It would also be advantageous for such an operational mode to permit manual activation and deactivation through a graphical user interface which is easy to use.
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for activating and deactivating an operational mode for a portable intelligent communications device when the user thereof is engaged in and completes a meeting or other similar activity, respectively.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for automatically activating and deactivating an operational mode for a portable intelligent communications device when the user thereof is engaged in and completes a meeting or other similar activity, respectively.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for configuring certain settings of a portable intelligent communications device upon activation of a particular operational mode utilized when the user is engaged in a meeting or other similar activity.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for automatically configuring certain settings of a portable intelligent communications device upon activation of a particular operational mode utilized when the user is engaged in a meeting or other similar activity.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for automatically reconfiguring certain settings of a portable intelligent communications device upon deactivation of a particular operational mode when the user has concluded a meeting or other similar activity.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for manually activating an operational mode for a portable intelligent communications device which utilizes a graphical user interface for configuring certain settings when the user is engaged in a meeting or other similar activity.
These objects and other features of the present invention will become more readily apparent upon reference to the following description when taken in conjunction with the following drawings.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, a method of activating an operational mode for a portable intelligent communications device when a user thereof is engaged in a meeting or other similar activity is disclosed. This method includes the steps of configuring various settings of the portable intelligent communications device which are associated with the operational mode and activating the operational mode for the portable intelligent communications device upon initiation of the meeting. The method may also include the step of deactivating the operational mode upon completion of the meeting. The activating and deactivating steps may be accomplished automatically or manually, with the settings being configured via a graphical user interface either prior to or after activation of the operational mode.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, a portable intelligent communications device is disclosed as including circuitry for performing telephony operations, a processing circuit, a display screen coupled to the processing circuit, and a graphical user interface for configuring a plurality of settings associated with a mode of operation for the portable intelligent communications device when the user thereof is engaged in a meeting or other similar activity. The processing circuit is operable to activate and deactivate the settings of the operational mode, which may be accomplished either automatically or manually via a graphical user interface shown on the display screen.